Thomas Gottschalk

Presentation

The underlying thematic of the Urban Hosts Block Party 2023 is the notion of neighbourliness, which is often described as the quality of being friendly and helpful to those who live near you. Are such attitudes critical, impossible, or old fashioned? What relevance does neighbourliness play in the contemporary city? Is it possible to expand the notion beyond the human, to include thinking about soil, air and other species in a friendly way?

For the Block Party, Radio Spatkauf – the English language podcast series that deals with current and cultural affairs in Berlin, will host a special live conversations at Studio 34a. Joining the conversation will be Cultural Manager at Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Library, Thomas Gottschalk, Professor of City Futures and founder of Urban Hosts, Teresa Dillon and members from the housing project, K9. 

Biography

Thomas Gottschalk studied European ethnology, German studies and history in Berlin and is the Cultural and Public Relations Manager for the City Library of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Prior to joining the library, he worked in the communication department of Sophiensæle Berlin from 2010 to 2018, where he developed a number of new formats such as KiezKantine, which brought together the topics on stage with the topics of the neighborhood and civic issues. Continuing with this spirit of designing and developing approaches to how we live and imagine cities, in 2020 with the library team he developed the BiboBike system of touring hammocks and bookshelfs that invite visitors to read, play, and relax in the Berlin parks.

Image source: Thomas Gottschalk

 

Date of publication

Fri 15 Sep 2023